


whatever it takes

by jules8178



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Cuddles, F/F, Gen, Insomnia, Nightmares, Protective Lindsey & Kelley, Sharing a Bed, can be read as very touchy friends or soft poly girlfriends, either way it's gay, somewhere in between platonic and romantic?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22535134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jules8178/pseuds/jules8178
Summary: When Lindsey and Kelley notice that Emily isn't sleeping, they come up with a plan to help her sleep, wanting her to be rested for the upcoming game. Their plan involves cuddles, and luckily for Emily, it's a success............."'But you wanna know what helped in the end?' Lindsey asked.'What?' Emily whispered, Kelley watching on with her hand in Emily’s hair, stroking her scalp with her thumb as she eagerly waited to hear what Lindsey had to say.'Actually addressing my feelings and letting myself feel them. Because as much as I wanted them to, they weren’t just going to go away,' Lindsey said as she cupped her hand around Emily’s face, making sure the smaller girl was listening to what she was saying."
Relationships: Kelley O'Hara/Emily Sonnett, Kelley O'Hara/Emily Sonnett/Lindsey Horan, Lindsey Horan/Emily Sonnett
Comments: 4
Kudos: 91





	whatever it takes

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this soft ot3 fic! Read it however you would like, I was just inspired by pictures of Sonny looking so, so tired at the game on Friday and thoughts of these three in a cuddle pile. 
> 
> Thanks to ck (cornerkick) for the inspiration, and to e (unbecomings) for the playlist that was on loop as I wrote this! :)

Everyone on the team was pretty used to the bags under Emily’s eyes- they were basically a constant presence, there whether they’d just had three off-days in a row or had stayed up all night celebrating a World Cup win. They were a running joke in her group of close friends on the team, who couldn’t understand how she could look so tired all the time but still have the energy of a four year old child who didn’t want to take a nap.

But during this camp, Lindsey and Kelley were starting to notice that those bags started looking a little deeper and that Emily was feeling as tired as she looked, yawning throughout the day and in the middle of sentences. 

It was the day after their first qualifying game, and Vlatko had let Kelley know that she would be rested on Friday, leaving Emily extremely likely to start against Panama. So, after sharing this news with Lindsey, Kelley and Lindsey agreed they needed to figure out why their friend looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks and fix it quickly, so she’d be healthy and ready for the game on Friday. 

The roommates gathered in their hotel room after lunch, having some hours before their second training session of the day, and developed their plan to help Emily.

“I think I might know what’s going on,” Lindsey said thoughtfully.  
“What? Tell me, Linds!” Kelley demanded eagerly, wanting to know anything Lindsey knew.  
“Okay, okay. I’ve just noticed that she tends to get like this when she’s stressed about big tournaments and rosters. And I think with the trade happening too, there’s just a lot going on in her head,” Lindsey explained, knowing her best friend as well as anyone.

“Hmmph. Well, if that’s the case, maybe we can help her get her brain to shut off,” Kelley added.  
“How?” Lindsey asked, not sure where Kelley was going with this.  
“How does she feel about physical contact?” Kelley asked, confusing Lindsey with what seemed to be a total change of topic.  
“Kell, you know her, she loves physical contact. But what does that have to do with her sleeping?” Lindsey responded, hoping to get an explanation.

“I have an idea,” Kelley said with a smirk. After explaining her plan to Lindsey, Lindsey nodded with a soft smile on her face, confirming her agreement with this plan. Now, all they had to do was figure out how to get Emily on board.

This task was made easier, because it became clear to the pair at dinnertime that they needed to intervene. All throughout the team dinner, Emily was yawning, her head drooping down before jerking back up, the blonde doing her best to stay alert. Despite her best efforts, Emily soon found her head resting in her left hand and her eyes drooping closed as everyone around her continued eating. Not long after that, Lindsey noticed looked over and noticed how Emily’s eyes were now completely closed and her breathing had evened out.

Lindsey kicked Kelley’s foot under the table, wanting to get her attention so the older player could wake the sleeping blonde before everyone noticed her and started asking questions.  
“Hey, watch the ankle!” Kelley declared.  
“I barely touched you, drama queen,” Lindsey retorted fondly.  
“Still, she’s sensitive!” Kelley responded.

Choosing not to respond, Lindsey instead just nodded towards the sleeping Emily, making Kelley aware of the dozing blonde next to her.  
“Hey babe, wake up,” Kelley said quietly while shaking Emily’s shoulder gently, for once doing her best to avoid the attention of the others.

“I’m awake, I’m awake! Who said I was ever asleep?” Emily said, jerking awake and quickly falling into humor to deflect from the situation.  
“Me.”  
“And me. Oh, and the way your eyes were closed and you were completely out of it!” Lindsey said, not letting Emily get away with her go-to defense mechanism.

“Hey, can we talk after dinner?” Kelley asked quietly, making sure her teammates around them couldn’t hear.  
“Oh, um, sure,” Emily responded, feeling a bit like a kid who had gotten in trouble and sent to the principal’s office.

After some unspoken communication between Lindsey and Kelley, the pair confirmed that Kelley would talk to Emily on her own while Lindsey head back to their room, not wanting to overwhelm their tired friend.

Pulling Emily into the vending machine room on their walk back to their rooms, Kelley began the conversation Emily was hoping to avoid.  
“Are you okay?” Kelley asked, catching Emily off-guard, who wasn’t expecting Kelley to get to the point so quickly.  
“What? Um, what do you mean? I’m peachy- Ha! Get it, like Georgia Peach- hey I didn’t even intend that one, I’m pretty proud of it” Emily said, knowing she was deflecting from the deep conversation at hand but hoping Kelley would somehow not notice.

“Stop that, Son. You know what I’m talking about. Are you not sleeping?” Kelley continued, caring too much about Emily to beat around the bush.  
“Oh. No, not really,” Emily admitted quietly.

“Why not?”  
“I’m trying, I really am. Trust me, I still have Dawn’s voice in my head telling me how rest wins games. Aw, now I miss Dawn.”  
“I know that, Em. I mean, what’s keeping you from sleeping?”

“Oh. There’s just so much going through my head right now- every time I lay down to fall asleep, all my thoughts keep running through my head and I just can’t get my brain to shut off. I just toss and turn a lot until I eventually give up and watch Netflix before I crash and eventually pass out,” Emily explained to Kelley, before continuing with a smile, “You know, I’m glad I’m not rooming with Rose, she would’ve thrown so many pillows at me and yelled at me to stop moving, but I’ve got Becky so she’s sound asleep with her white noise machine by 10.”

“Okay, Son, I get that,” Kelley said, “how about this- you come sleep in my room?”  
“What about Lindsey? And what difference would that make anyway?” Emily asked, not understanding the suggestion.  
“Oh, Lindsey doesn’t mind, you’d be sleeping in her bed anyway”  
“Wha- What now? Where would she be sleeping?” Emily asked, her voice now significantly higher.  
“Her bed. C’mon, Son, get with the program. But that doesn’t matter,” Kelley continued before Emily cut her off.  
“Why does it not matter? I feel like it very much does matter. And you still haven’t explained why I’m sleeping in your room in the first place?” Emily demanded.  
“I would have, if you would just shut up and let me finish,” Kelley said sassily. She continued, “Have you ever heard of weighted blankets?”  
“Yeah, sure, but what does that have to do with anything? We don’t have one here anyway” Emily responded, confused as ever.  
“That’s where we come in,” Kelley said with a smirk, “I have an idea.”

“Oh no. Remind me why I’m friends with you?” Emily said with concern in her voice but a smile on her face that she couldn’t keep off despite her best efforts.  
“Ah, let me count the ways!” Kelley declared as she draped her arm around Emily’s shoulders and started walking them back to their rooms.

Quickly, Kelley explained her plan and Emily agreed to follow along, too tired to not even give it a try. They would both head back to their rooms and get ready for bed, and then Emily would come to Lindsey and Kelley’s room, where they would watch a movie before going to sleep.

Kelley had fully explained how they would be going to sleep, and Emily was admittedly nervous. Sure, her and Lindsey spent many Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons cuddled on the couch watching their favorite shows, and Kelley had kissed her on the cheek more times than she could count, but this felt different, more intimate. Kelley had declared it a “human weighted blanket,” with both Lindsey and Kelley laying on top of Emily as they fell asleep. 

Nerves building, Emily made her way to the room down the hall, knocking on the door softly. Kelley opened the door with a smile, wanting Emily to feel as comfortable as possible. Emily entered the room nervously, only releasing the breath she didn’t know she had been holding when she saw Lindsey pat the bed next to her. 

The three girls settled into Lindsey’s bed nearest the door, with Lindsey laying against the wall next to the bathroom, Kelley on the opposite side nearest the bedside table, and Emily in the middle, the former girls making contact with her at all times, just wanting to watch over her. 

Kelley started the movie they had chosen (The Breakfast Club), and then they found their preferred places on the bed- Emily laying partially on top of Lindsey as they spooned, Lindsey’s arm wrapped around Emily’s torso, Emily’s head resting on Kelley’s shoulder, Kelley’s hand finding Emily’s free hand closest to her.

The trio let the movie play, laughing at the classic lines when they were said, but not stopping themselves from dozing off after they were about an hour in. Lindsey woke up as the main characters were parting ways at the end of the film, so she shook the two defenders awake so they could all get ready for bed for real. Contacts removed, teeth brushed, and comfier clothes put on (because no sane person wears a bra to bed), the three were ready to sleep. 

Suddenly, Emily felt her nerves return, realizing just how much she’d be in contact with the two beautiful women, who were now in short shorts and thin t-shirts. She found herself feeling self-conscious in the too-big Thorns shorts and worn-out Stanford tee that belonged to Lindsey and Kelley respectively, stolen articles of clothing that usually made her feel at home when she was feeling stressed. 

“You ready?” Kelley asked Emily as Emily left the bathroom, pulling her by the hand towards the bed.  
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Emily said quietly with a tentative smile.

Lindsey crawled into the bed first, making her way under the comforter until she was propped on her side against the wall. Emily got in next, laying on her back in the middle of the bed. Kelley followed, claiming her spot on the far side.

With the comforter covering all three women, Kelley moved to drape her body across Emily’s right side, laying on her stomach with her hair splayed haphazardly across the pillow. Lindsey did the same on the other side, ignoring the little voice in her head telling her she was too big to lay on top of the smaller blonde- Emily reaching out her hand to pull her closer to her made the voice easier to ignore. 

With the comforting weight of the people closest to her on top of her and the smell of their shampoo surrounding her, Emily found her mind quiet for the first time in what seemed like months, falling asleep within a couple minutes. The bodies to her right and left were sleeping soundly as well, calmed by the knowledge that their Emily was safe and sound between them. 

This sleep lasted until about 4 AM, when both Lindsey and Kelley were awoken by Emily making jerking movements beneath them and muttering underneath her breath. As they heard her mutter about the “roster” and being “not good enough,” the two quickly realized that the smaller blonde was having a nightmare, concerned eyes making contact and nodding with the mutual decision to wake Emily up and deal with whatever aftermath was to come. 

“Hey, Em, wake up,” Lindsey began, stroking the girl’s hair.  
“Hey, babe, it’s okay, you’re just having a bad dream,” Kelley added as she lightly shook Emily’s shoulder and rubbed her hand over her stomach. 

Lindsey and Kelley repeated those and similar words until Emily woke up, startling awake and sitting right up.  
“No, no, no, no, this wasn’t supposed to happen,” Emily muttered, panic still in her voice.  
“What do you mean, Em? You were having a nightmare, it happens,” Lindsey tried to comfort her.  
“Babe, why didn’t you tell me you were having nightmares when we talked?” Kelley asked, no judgement in her voice.  
“I, I haven’t had nightmares like this since I was 8, they make me feel like a little kid again,” Emily explained, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes.

“Hey, hey, Em, I get it, I really do. Remember how I told you about the nightmares I would get in Paris?” Lindsey said.  
Seeing Emily nod (and Kelley look on concerned, having never heard about these), Lindsey continued, “I never wanted to tell anyone about them because I knew they already thought of me as a kid, I didn’t want to make it worse.”  
“But you wanna know what helped in the end?” Lindsey asked.  
“What?” Emily whispered, Kelley watching on with her hand in Emily’s hair, stroking her scalp with her thumb as she eagerly waited to hear what Lindsey had to say.

“Actually addressing my feelings and letting myself feel them. Because as much as I wanted them to, they weren’t just going to go away,” Lindsey said as she cupped her hand around Emily’s face, making sure the smaller girl was listening to what she was saying.

With that, the dam seemed to break. Emily let go of all she had been holding in, sharing her fears about the trade to Orlando and what it would mean for her career, why she’d deleted all her social media, her worries about not making the Tokyo roster and proving everything ARod said to her at that Utah game right. With that release of feelings came the release of many tears, forcing Lindsey to push back down the anger that had come to the surface at the mention of the Royals player who hurt her Sonny. 

Curling Emily’s head into her chest, Lindsey comforted the girl, reassuring her of how much Mark would regret his choice come next season and repeating just how good of a player Emily was, swearing (and believing with her whole heart) that the girl was even better than herself. 

Kelley added her own comforting mantras as she stroked Emily’s soft blonde hair, reminding her of how versatile a player she was and how Vlatko would be an idiot to not keep someone as talented and flexible as her on the Olympic roster. 

It wasn’t long before Emily had cried herself out, tired from the energy spent from crying in a way she never really did. Soon, Emily was back asleep, and her two protective friends followed her lead, hoping to get a few more hours of rest before they had to get up in the morning for another practice session.

Even with the bad dream, Emily slept more and felt more rested that night than she had in weeks. As she made her way back to her own room the next morning, she had a small smile on her face, the relaxing night being well worth any and all of her initial nerves. 

As she opened the door and walked into her room, Becky glanced up from the book she was reading with her morning coffee.  
“Sleep well?” the captain asked with a knowing smile on her face, well aware of where her younger roommate slept the night before.  
“I slept great,” Emily responded, for once believing the statement.

The nightly routine continued the next night as well, and though there were still bags under Emily’s eyes come Friday evening, Lindsey and Kelley were comforted by the knowledge that Emily had gotten two full nights of better sleep and would be able to play the full 90 at a level that would make them, and Vlatko, proud. 

For the rest of the qualifying camp, Lindsey and Kelley made sure Emily knew she had an open invitation to sleep in their room, even giving her their extra keycard so she could come and go as she pleased. And, even after the group stage of the tournament ended and the trio found themselves in separate rooms in a new city, Emily slept better with the knowledge that she could come to Lindsey and Kelley, together or separate, and be received with endless cuddles and support. 

After all, they would do whatever it takes to make sure their girl was happy and healthy- it was just second nature to them.


End file.
